“Amelia?” he said, his voice near shaking with adrenaline and need.

“Yes?”

“Will you love me?” he asked.

A seductive smile curled her lips. “Absolutely.”

Tyler softly shook his head. She’d answered too quickly, so he was certain she misunderstood. “That’s not what I meant,” he corrected. Amelia had given him her body, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. He wanted to break through her walls and topple all her misconceptions about love. He knew her well enough to know he couldn’t force his way into her heart. She had to let him in. “Will you give me your heart?”

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open without words.

“I want this to work between us, Amelia. I want you to fall in love with me, so we can have a family and all the wonderful things you’ve always dreamed of. But you have to stop fighting it. Are you ever going to let yourself fall in love with me?”

There was a long silence, a painful one, but when she finally did speak, it made him yearn for the quiet again.

“You’re asking me to give you something with nothing in return.”

It was Tyler’s turn to look at her with wide-eyed surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Through this whole thing, you’ve been on a mission to make me fall in love with you—and you’re succeeding, even if you don’t feel that way. But you’re right, I am holding back, and it’s because I get the feeling that you’re not letting yourself fall in love with me. You had it rough with Christine. I know that. Breaking off the engagement a week before the wedding was just cruel, especially if she knew she’d had doubts about the two of you. She hurt you. You wouldn’t ever talk about it, but I can tell by the way you changed after that. All work, all the time.”

He didn’t like talking about what happened with Christine, even with Amelia. Talking about it meant that he would have to face his first big failure in life. To talk about how he couldn’t measure up, no matter what. He’d rather just pretend it hadn’t happened. “I have a business to run,” he argued.

“So do I. That’s no excuse. You’re just hiding away. You might have lost her, but in the process, I almost lost you, too. You buried yourself in your work, flying so much the flight attendants know you by name. But you need to clip those wings of yours if we’re going to make this work. I think both of us are trying so desperately to protect our hearts, so afraid this isn’t going to succeed and we’re going to lose everything we have.

“I will let myself fall in love with you, Tyler,” she continued, “but you have to let yourself do the same.”

Tyler swallowed hard, hearing the truth in her words but not knowing quite how to address it. He had held a part of himself back, and he still wasn’t certain he could give all of himself the way he had before. It was a scary prospect, even as desperately as he wanted the life they could have together. But they’d never have the chance if he didn’t give in. Or at least, let her think that he had.

“You’re right,” he said, forcing himself to smile at her reassuringly. “From now on, no holding back. I will let myself love you and you will let yourself love me.”

A brilliant smile lit her face. Before he could react, her lips met his. He was happy to close his eyes and lose himself in the physical contact that had been his comfort these past few weeks. This was the kiss that was supposed to mark the change in their relationship for the better. They were giving in, and he needed to make her believe his words.

He pressed into her, pushing her back to mold her against the concave wall of the capsule. Her mouth was soft and welcoming in juxtaposition to his hard advance. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, demanding she give him more, and she gladly complied. She pressed her breasts against his chest and met his every advance.

How had he been so blind to this for so long? Amelia was perfect for him in so many ways. She knew just how to touch him, just how to handle his every mood. She wasn’t afraid to call him on his crap. And when it came down to it, he’d never been as attracted to a woman in his life as he was to her. From the first day he laid eyes on her freshman year, he’d known he was hers, be they friends or lovers. When they’d decided on friends, he’d shelved the attraction and kept his distance. Why, even now, he was resistant to let go. The minute he gave in to how badly he wanted her everything would fall apart.

At that unnerving thought, he pulled away. The moment their lips parted, the lights of the Eye illuminated and they were suddenly surrounded by its haunting blue glow. Amelia looked up at him, the lights and shadows highlighting the contours of her delicate features. Her smile was devoid of the pink lipstick she’d had on when they entered the Eye.

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” Amelia said, her voice breathy.

“You don’t want to go to dinner?” he asked.

“No,” she replied adamantly. “Take me back to the hotel right now or risk me doing something scandalous to you in this plastic bubble where everyone can see us.”

As appealing as that sounded, Tyler could see the loading platform approaching below. They wouldn’t have enough time to start anything interesting—or at least not to finish it—before the cops arrested them both.

“To the hotel it is.”

* * *

The moment they touched back down on solid earth, they rushed to get a cab to the hotel. Amelia’s heart was racing in her chest the entire way there, and when they pulled up outside the Landmark Hotel, she felt a tightness, like a vise closing down on her rib cage.

It wasn’t making love to Tyler that made her anxious. She had a thirst for him that never seemed to be satiated. It was their conversation on the Eye that worried her. She’d told him that she sensed he was afraid to give himself fully to the relationship, but there was more to it than just fear. Yes, he might be worried about losing their friendship or afraid of getting hurt again, but there was something else. He’d never seriously pursued her before now. Not once in all these years. But the moment a baby had come into the picture, Tyler had been ready to swoop in and claim her as his own.

Which raised the painful question she didn’t really want to face—was Tyler only here for the baby?

Did he really want them to fall in love, or did he just want Amelia to love him enough to stay in the relationship for the sake of their child? She had a miserable track record—she knew that. If not for the baby, she probably wouldn’t have let their relationship go on this long, in truth. She would’ve found some reason why it wouldn’t work. But now she was having feelings for Tyler. Real feelings that went far beyond friendship. Far beyond loving him, but not being in love with him.

But she didn’t get the same vibes from Tyler. It felt more like...an obligation, despite him telling her he was going to stop holding back.

Amelia shuddered at the thought. She never wanted anyone to be with her just because he thought he had to be. Tyler was attracted to her—there was no doubt of that—but could they have more?

The thoughts weighed heavy in her mind, even as they made their way through the stunning eight-story atrium of the hotel. She barely saw it, or any of the other remarkable features about their historic, hundred-year-old hotel. It wasn’t until they reached their suite that Amelia pushed the doubts out of her mind, just as she pushed Tyler’s suit coat over his shoulders. As they had nearly every night since they’d shared a home, she wanted to lose her worries in Tyler’s arms.

His jacket fell to the floor along with her own blue coat. Tyler pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was nearly breathless. “I’ve never wanted a woman as badly as I want you tonight,” he said, his voice low and rough.

Amelia’s anxiety faded at the sound of his voice. It wasn’t all about the baby. His desire for her was real enough. She gave him a wicked, knowing grin and tugged at his tie. They shed clothing as they made it through the seating area to the large ivory-draped bed. Tyler whipped back the duvet and the flat sheet, then slipped out of his pants and eased onto the bed. Their make-out session on the Eye had certainly fired up his engine, and he was clearly ready for a long, exhilarating drive.